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Appomattox is the birthplace of Joel Sweeney and the rest of his banjo playing kith and kin. The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, along with a newly created friends group, without which this could not happen, and Mark Weems of the North Carolina School of Traditional Music, are planning a celebration of Sweeney, the Africans he learned from and the banjo. The Joel Sweeney and the Banjo: from Africa to Appomattox to America Festival is scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday May 10-11th 2013.

Abingdon, Virginia -- he Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail proudly presents a Youth Music Performance Series concert on Thursday, April 11th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway in Abingdon, Virginia. The special concert, co-hosted by WVTF Radio as part of Public Radio Music Month and the Town of Abingdon, will feature the Blackberries.

Michael Cleveland, the International Bluegrass Music Association's 9-Time Fiddle Player of the Year, is embarking on a new venture and is now offering fiddle lessons for intermediate and advanced players. The master musician will be teaching via Skype which is a free video calling application.

Pete Wernick announces two youngsters from western North Carolina as scholarship winners for his Bluegrass Jam Camp in Boomer, NC: Liam Purcell, 10, of Deep Gap and Kinsey Green, 14, of Boone are both multi-instrumentalists, immersed in bluegrass through families who value this tradition. Pete says, “It's good to see local kids learning the local music, and we're very glad to be able offer them this additional opportunity.”

Felton, CA -- Aspiring bass players have an opportunity this summer to study with Lisa Burns, a four-time winner of Northern California Bluegrass Society’s Bass Player of the Year award. Burns is teaching at CBA Music Camp June 9 through 12 in Grass Valley, California.

Woodbury, TN -- Award-winning facility The Arts Center of Cannon County (ACCC) is excited to announce the release of the exclusive educational webisode series Music Springs - Southern Music Sources, highlighting the musical history and legacy of southern traditional music. The Arts Center's Grammy® Award-winning independent record label, Spring Fed Records, authored scripts, provided new and archived video footage and access to historical documents. The webisodes were produced by students at Middle Tennessee State University and are being released in stages from March until July 2013 through the Arts Center’s Root Cellar community and other local media outlets.

Nashville, TN -- The CMA Foundation donated $1.2 million to benefit music education programs for Nashville’s 81,000 public school students from 2012 CMA Music Festival through the Keep the Music Playing campaign at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Tuesday night.

Dreadnoughts Unlimited has raised funds and provided financial aid to Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamps since 2001. Scholarship recipients have attended sessions in flatpicking and fingerstyle guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, or bass. The qualifications for a financial aid are that a person be wanting to learn and improve his or her musical skills, but needs financial aid in order to attend kamp. Recipients must agree to attend the entire week of kamp and participate in classes. More information on the kamp can be found at http://www.flatpik.com/Steve-Kaufman-Acoustic-Kamp

Boston MA, March 19, 2013. Berklee College of Music president Roger Brown will present Carole King, Willie Nelson, and Annie Lennox with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee's commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 11, at the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University. Commencement speaker Annie Lennox will address more than 900 Berklee graduates, their parents, and invited guests.

The California Bluegrass Association is very pleased to finally offer an instructional camp for kids during our 38th Annual Father's Day Festival in Grass Valley this year. We will still offer Kids on Bluegrass, our performance activity for young people and our expanded KidFest, our recreational activity.

Pete Wernick tells us of the availability of a full scholarship to his 2013 Jam Camp in Boomer, NC. The camp, open to pickers of all bluegrass instruments, runs Monday through Thursday, April 22-25, immediately prior to MerleFest. It offers both basic skills and intermediate tracks.

Camp Director Sarah Wasson will be heading up the 8th Annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Boot Camp and instructors. Interested youth ages 6-18 years of age will be allowed to sign up for the fun but structured camp. The bluegrass music camp consists of professional instructors and will teach students in small group and one-on-one sessions - brand new through advanced.

Ron Roach, a colleague of long time International Country Music Conference (ICMC) friend Bill Brown at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia will be discussing a fascinating Bluegrass topic. Roach will discuss “The Golden Age of Bluegrass on the West Coast: Early History of the Golden State Boys.” Roach asserts that the “1960s were a Golden Age for bluegrass music on the West Coast. Flatt and Scruggs became a national sensation on The Beverly Hillbillies and the Dillards were regulars on The Andy Griffith Show.

The Tri-State Community School for the Arts and WFWM Public Radio will offer two scholarships to the DelFest Academy 2013. Scholarships are awarded annually to talented and motivated students who are involved in bluegrass music and who demonstrate a need for financial assistance.